Atwell and Chapman win Sarasota runoff

Tuesday

May 14, 2013 at 7:21 PMMay 14, 2013 at 9:01 PM

City voters stick with status quo, re-electing incumbent and a neighborhood activist.

By JESSIE VAN BERKEL

In a contentious election where candidates' visions for the city clashed, Sarasota voters stuck with the status quo by Tuesday choosing incumbent Suzanne Atwell and neighborhood activist Susan Chapman to fill two commission seats.

The two Democrats edged out Republican Richard Dorfman, who had promised to make downtown Sarasota more vibrant and ease restrictions on new development.

Atwell won 38 percent of the vote, Chapman 33 percent and Dorfman received 29 percent.

A total of 7,102 voters cast ballots for this election, or 20 percent of registered voters. That total was slightly higher than the 17 percent of voters who cast ballots in the March election, where six candidates where whittled down to the final three.

Atwell hung on in a city that regularly tosses its incumbents. Atwell said she was nervous going into Election Day, but as the votes were read at her campaign party a smile broke over her face as she hugged the person nearest her.

"I won! I won!" she said, rocking back and forth. Minutes later, composed, Atwell noted this election will be a smooth transition for city staff.

The former psychologist, who has lived here for about 20 years, is a member of countless community organizations and is well-recognized and fairly uncontroversial.

Chapman, meanwhile, is a familiar — albeit divisive — figure in Sarasota politics. Opponents derided her on the campaign trail, saying she was unwilling to move the city forward, but other voters embraced her view of preserving Sarasota.

The newly elected commissioner has lived in the city for 24 years, serves on the Planning Board and is a former president of the Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations. She said Sarasota needs to focus on growing its already existing businesses, sticking to its rules for new development and maintaining a high quality of life for residents — like the condo dwellers downtown who say bars and restaurants are getting too noisy at night.

It was the Chapman's first time running for a commission seat and she had a winning ground game, with residents who supported her connecting with their neighbors who had a record of turning out for city elections.

She estimated she had hundreds of supporters who helped her campaign, which she called truly grassroots. Her post-election party was packed, and Chapman hugged and gushed thanks to anyone who left.

The two women beat Dorfman, who lost his second attempt at a commission seat.

Dorfman has lived in Sarasota full time for four years. He worked hard to knock on doors and ignite a younger set of voters, but his efforts fell short.

"There was nothing to left to do and we take some comfort in that," Dorfman said, as he received apologies and handshakes outside his election night party.

Dorfman had the best-funded campaign, receiving more than $62,300 in contributions, much of which came from people associated with the development community, who backed his developer-friendly, open-for-business view for the city.

Atwell operated on roughly $33,700 — a good portion of which she loaned to the campaign — and Chapman received $28,650.

Dorfman and Atwell also received support from an organization created by multi-millionaire entrepreneur Jesse Biter, which reported spending about $14,000 on phone surveys during the election.

Atwell and Chapman will hold at-large positions, meaning they represent the whole city, and their terms last four years.

They will be sworn in Friday and will join commissioners Paul Caragiulo, Shannon Snyder and Willie Shaw in overseeing Sarasota staff and the workings of the city, from budget decisions to new development.

The election will likely not change the dynamic at the commission table, with Atwell keeping her seat and Chapman replacing Terry Turner — a commissioner she often agreed with on major city issues, and who endorsed her for the position.

Turner, who was at Chapman's election party, said this race showed what residents want for the city.

"They're willing to make small improvements, but they're not willing to change it for a radical business model," he said.

Bigger turnout

The election's 20 percent turnout was an anomaly for a Sarasota runoff. Typically, the March election has a significantly higher turnout than the May election.

But candidates said they also worked hard to chase absentee ballots and get voters to the polls.

Social media was a particularly important tool in this campaign, Atwell noted.

Atwell and Chapman have been campaigning since October, according to campaign finance reports. Dorfman began campaigning more than a year ago.

As it came down to the wire, the candidates were getting creative with their Election Day reminders. Dorfman's girlfriend enlisted her friends to wave pom-poms at the polls, and Chapman rode around Monday waving at voters as someone with a bullhorn reminded people the election was the next day.

Candidates, particularly Chapman and Dorfman, repeatedly remarked that the campaign has been filled with negativity. The two were ideological opposites on development, noise and other issues, and their supporters often faced off online.

Atwell more often sided with Dorfman but generally landed in the middle, a tactic she said reflected her centrist approach to governing.

Tuesday night, she said her approach resonated with voters.

"I feel like a message has been sent," she said. "I need four more years — I love saying that. Four more years."

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